Authorities have identified a 64-year-old Oklahoma man who died when his small, private plane crashed during thunderstorms in East Texas after taking off from a Houston airport Monday night.

The crash occurred about 9:30 p.m. near Wells in Cherokee County, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said in an email.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the victim as John Thomas Steeper, of Broken Arrow, Okla. He was the pilot and is believed to have been alone on board the twin-engine Cessna 421-C.

The plane, which was owned by H S Air LP, took off about 8:40 p.m. Monday from West Houston Airport and was en route to Tulsa Riverside Airport when it encountered thunderstorms in east Texas, troopers said. Air traffic controllers lost radar and radio contact with the plane moments before the crash.

Troopers said the plane was at 24,000 feet when Steeper apparently lost control and the plane plunged at 15,000 feet per minute. It slammed into a heavily wooded area and exploded upon impact.

Troopers said it was unclear why Steeper had been in the Houston area. However, the manager at West Houston Airport, Woody Lesikar, said he knew Steeper.

"He had come here several times over the last six months," Lesikar said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are expected to investigate to determine the cause of the crash.